A major challenge for achieving poverty reduction is that the capacity of states to deliver development is in short supply, particularly in Africa. However, 'pockets of effectiveness' (PoEs) offer important clues concerning how developmental forms of state capacity might emerge and be sustained in difficult contexts.
Community management of handpumps has been the accepted mode of thinking for rural water supply over three decades in Africa. The paradigm underpins the hundreds of millions of US dollars invested each year to reduce institutional and operational water risks.
Finding ways to deliver high-quality health care to low-income populations in developing countries is a critical policy challenge. Our initial ESRC-funded project found that reducing user fees (by providing primary health care for free) does substantially increase Malian households' use of this care.
